Ireland’s animation company Lighthouse Studios (The Bob’s Burgers Movie, The Cuphead Show, El Deafo, Little Ellen) has promoted finance director Marc Jordan to the newly created position of chief financial officer. The announcement was made by the studio’s managing director Claire Finn.
Jordan will play a pivotal role in shaping the company’s financial strategy and operations, including the financial management of co-productions, the first of which is a new children’s animated adventure series, Showtime. Award-winning French studio Gao Shan Pictures is joining the original project as co-production partner alongside previously announced partner Dog Ears.
As CFO and part of the studio’s executive team, Jordan will develop and implement the company’s financial strategy and will oversee all financial aspects of co-productions; identifying and securing funding opportunities for co-productions and other projects; and collaborating with production partners. He joined Lighthouse Studios as financial controller when the company was founded in 2017, and for the past four years, has served as its finance director.
Jordan began his career in practice, gaining considerable experience working with clients across a broad range of industries. He currently serves as a board member of Animation Ireland.
“Marc has been a pivotal member of our team during his tenure at the studio,” commented Finn. “His promotion to CFO is well-deserved, and he will be instrumental in collaborating with our esteemed production partners to continue delivering the first-class animation we have been known for since our inception.”
“The past seven years have provided a tremendous opportunity to work with Claire and the team to grow from primarily an animation service provider to expanding into original content, and I am delighted to continue the journey to help further build Lighthouse Studios into a world class animation studio,” said Jordan. “We are also excited to welcome Gao Shan as a co-production partner to work alongside us and Dog Ears on Showtime, a series that celebrates inclusion and kindness, the magic ingredients that help every child to shine, and will encourage kids to get excited about being part of a performance—whatever part they choose.”
Showtime is a high-energy comedy series set in a performing arts school. Naturally diverse and inclusive each 11-minute episode features visual humour for young audiences, character led stories grounded in friendship, and performances galore, as the characters learn about everything from puppetry to ballet, mime, acrobatics, street-dancing, juggling and more.
Launched in 2017 as a service studio, Lighthouse Studios is moving into original content production, and over the last year has been in development on three projects, one of which is Showtime, based on Tor Freeman’s book, Showtime for Billie and Coco. France-based studio Gao Shan Pictures will co-produce the 52 x 11’ series alongside Lighthouse Studios and Northern Ireland’s Derry-based creative studio Dog Ears.
Lighthouse Studios’ award-winning creative head Gilly Fogg (El Deafo, Bug Diaries) will direct from scripts written by Sian Ní Mhuirí (Royals Next Door). Their MD Claire Finn serves as executive producer; Dog Ears’ creative director John McDaid is co-producer alongside Gao Shan’s CEO Arnauld Boulard.